Moonlight Druid

The Colin McCool series #3

by M.D. Massey

When a fae child goes missing, Colin is hired to bring him back. Now he has to crack the case, all while learning to control his shifter abilities under the watchful eye of the local werewolf alpha. But with half the pack against him and enemies at every turn, will his next misstep be his last?

The name's Colin McCool, but some call me the Junkyard Druid. I'm just your typical college student, living under a nasty fae curse that turns me into something unholy and deadly at the worst possible moments.

Like I said, typical.

Lately I've been taking odd jobs in the supernatural community, solving cases and hunting down things that go bump in the night. But this last job has really thrown me for a loop. A fae child went missing, and I've been hired to bring him back.

The good news is, the local alpha is teaching me how to control my ability to shift into that other, darker side of me. The bad news is, the deeper I get into this case the more twisted and sinister it becomes.

Let's just hope I can learn to control my Hyde-side and rescue that child... before the darker side of me takes over for good.

- - -

Moonlight Druid is a new adult urban fantasy novel featuring werewolves, shifters, druids, wizards, witches, nature deities, vampires, and fae. It interweaves elements of modern fantasy, fae fantasy, and paranormal suspense to weave a fun, fast-paced tale set in an exciting new urban fantasy universe.

If you enjoy contemporary fantasy stories with lots of action, magic, and mayhem, you'll love Moonlight Druid. Grab your copy today!

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Supernatural, Fiction, Audiobook

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2017

About the author

M.D. Massey describes himself as the prototypical INTJ. His eclectic background provides him with a rich tapestry of experiences to draw on when crafting fiction, as evidenced by the believable worlds and relatable characters he creates.

As a former Army combat medic (91B), professional martial arts instructor (Krav Maga, JKD, FMA), and women's self-defense instructor, he possesses a unique understanding of close combat, firearms, and criminal violence that few authors can match. This knowledge provides an element of realism to the Druidverse™ novels, setting them apart from other fantasy series.

Mr. Massey lives in the Texas Hill Country with his family and a huge American bulldog that keeps him company while he writes. When he's not in his office or at the local coffee shop writing, you can find him in his garage pummeling inanimate objects or knife-fighting with his friends.

Reviews

[Len Evans Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each book in this series just supersedes the previous book by leaps and bounds!

Adore Colin and the other primary characters of this series! In addition, the ongoing world building is fascinating as well as enthralling! Gotta say one of my favorite things has been the author's ability to surprise and even shock me with some of the twists and turns the story has taken. Not always comfortable, in fact there have been a few times I found myself practically reading out of one eye cuz things got a bit uncomfortable! On to book four!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colin goes on another thrill ride. New allies, new mystery to solve and support from Bells, Hemi and Luther. Old enemies become necessary to his investigation and he adapts well. He’s forced to do a some painful and necessary soul searching. Maeve is cryptic as usual but loved her big reveal. Loved the way he uses humour to break the tension. I read this using my KU subscription.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

KU

[Dom Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is really picking up! Highly recommend!

[J.Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very dark and grim piece of work. While this is a piece of fiction, it is no lighthearted fantasy. The crimes against our children; the abuse in all ways, not only physical, but sexual, emotional, mental and spiritual, should be, and mostly is, anathema to the majority of the population. However, there exists a sick and soulless portion of the world's population who traffic in children, buying and selling them as if they were merely another commodity. M.D. Massey deals with this nightmarish topic in this third book into Colin McCool, the Junkyard Druid.
Colin is finally, with the help of the local werewolf pack, learning how to deal with his gruesome and deadly alter ego. As the saying goes, however, Colin is his own worst enemy in more ways than one. In order to learn control of his beast, he must confront it, overcome and master it. At the same time as he is fighting his internal battles, he has to find the kidnappers preying on the disadvantaged childhood in his city, including the only son of Sal the Redcap. He also has to guard himself against unknown enemies in the very werewolf pack supposedly helping him learn control of his beast. Colin has slowly been getting smarter...not to mention sneakier...as time goes by. Is he strong enough and smart enough to solve the current crisis? Only time and M. D. Massey can tell. It's all here in "Moonlight Druid", a very riveting and spellbinding story.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read all the other books in the series and they have been good. I was a little apprehensive about the story line of this one. But a fine line was walked perfectly. The point got across without delving to deep into that sick world. I think this one is actually my favorite of the series so far. Read the whole series first tho. You won't know a lot of stuff if you just start out with this one. Also, the very first book in this series is actually a young adult book. I suggest you read that one so you get a little back story of Colin McCool. Its not available on kindle unlimited, gotta go to his website and get it. It's called Blood druid, or Colin McCool and the vampire Dwarf.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Massey delivers again

This book was a page turner. New characters, both friends and enemies, make the book fresh, not just a formula remix. I would have enjoyed another 10 chapters. I have a love hate feeling about the ending. Love the surprise, hate the cliff hanger.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

I slid into the booth and picked up the glass he pushed over to me. A quick sniff of the contents told me it was proofed somewhere between moonshine and paint thinner. I set the glass back down with a shudder. “I’ll pass, Sal. That stuff looks like it could eat a hole through a troll’s stomach.”

At the time of this review being written, this book was available to read with a Kindle Unlimited subscription for free. This was the medium I chose to read this book.

It took three books, but I’m officially a fan. The first book was lackluster at best with aspects that grated my nerves. While book two was definitely a step in a better direction, some of the previous books’ annoyances still occurred, although less frequently. Said tidbits were altogether ignored from where this book starts onwards, which in itself is somewhat irksome, but not enough to make me do anything more than sigh when thought about.

I shut the door and locked it, then flopped into an easy chair. “Aw, what the hell. Thrill me, Doc.” “Robert Downey, Jr. said it better,” the doctor quipped with a grin. “But points for making an Iron Man reference during such a trying time.”

Therefore, so long as I didn’t think the fact that Colin told Bells at the end of the previous book that he was still in love with and struggling over the loss of Jesse, I was fine. Book one, Jesse’s death was mentioned far too often, to the point where I felt like I was reading a soap opera. However, in book two it was significantly less often, despite Colin essentially finding himself a new girlfriend. It’s pretty confusing, as in this book she’s not mentioned but in passing and it seems he has magically gotten through and over the loss of Jesse—though just in time to tussle in the sheets with another girl. Sigh.

Belladonna isn’t my favorite character, or my least favorite, but I was altogether happy that she didn’t have as active a role in this book as she had in previous ones. She’s a kick ass, tough girl, but she’s too sappy and fawns over Colin too often, which seems to take away from her badassery a little bit.

“…I keep getting you confused. I’m just going to call you Sprout. So, tell me, Sprout, what’s your watering cycle like? And would you consider yourself to be annual or perennial species?”

Werewolves were the big focus in this book, which I admittedly was looking forward to. I liked Samson the previous times he interacted with Colin, so knowing he was going to be a bigger focus this time around was exciting to hear.

Fallyn was a new character in this book that instantly became a favorite for me. She was tough as nails and protective of everything that mattered most to her. She definitely had some funny lines in the book and held her own in sticky situations, too. Given the way things ended in the book, I suspect we’ll see more of her to come.

”But I—“ She slapped me again, harder. “Ow! Seriously, what’s with all the women slapping me today?”

Theory wise, I have a feeling the werewolves will play a larger part, especially all the help that Colin unintentionally aided the pack with. Additionally, I suspect that Maeve will be a creature we’re a little less cautious around, too. Can’t say too much or I’ll spoil things, but a lot of things were unraveled in the end of the book.

When I began this book, I was unsure if when finished I’d go straight into book four or give another series a shot for a bit… However, I’ve decided to head onto book four!

The only reason this book didn't get 5 stars from me was because of how odd it felt that Colin went from deciding he was still hung up on Jesse at the end of the second book, to in the third just magically being okay without her and not mentioning her ever again. From what I gathered about the third book, also, is not much time had passed—definitely not like he could have flipped his opinion that quickly.

See you at the next review, folks. Happy reading!

”Shit, Galadriel, give me a minute to process, would you? Do you realize how f***ing weird it is talking to you like this, after finding out you’re basically the chick on the Starbucks logo?” “Um, that’s a siren—entirely different type of fae,” I interjected. “But getting back to the reason why I brought you here in the first place…”

[Иван Величков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Аз си подхождам към цялата серия като към читателско чоплене на семки – имаш нещо да се занимаваш, зарибяващо е и не е никак хранително. Все пак тази книга добре вдигна нивото. Сякаш Майси започва да нахвърля по-голяма картина, а Колин започва да се изгражда като разпознаваем образ. Е, има още колебания в характера на нашия друид, но и преди съм казвал, че в тези поредици нещата бавно набират скорост, дори и в най-добрите. Криминалната интрига, макар и не нещо „УАУ“, беше доста приятно отиграна, а темата с трафика на деца няма как да не те докосне.
Колин се мъчи да овладее проклятието си, с помощта на местната върколашка глутница. Това сама по себе си е отвратителна задача, включваща големи количества болка и изтощение. Но когато Сал – червена шапка от местната градинско гномска мафия, го наема да открие отвлечения му син, Колин няма как да откаже. Това ще го захвърли в доста мрачни страни на паранормален Остин. На всичкото от горе, съюзът му с глутницата, отваря маса проблеми на нейната алфа, който е и приятел на Колин. Скоро се оказва, че всичко е свързано и един изненадващ противник с полубожествено потекло, води цялата игра, а залогът е много по-голям от водачество на тексаската глутница или няколко отвлечени хлапетии.
Колин по едно време превърта играта и наказва един от похитителите (тук сцената ми дойде малко насилена някак, не заради бруталността, а защото беше малко самоцелна. Но пък тоя си беше боклук продаващ деца).
Играчите на тексаския терен се разпределят вече и очаквам доста по-голям сблъсък през следващите книги. Зарибен съм, един вид, макар не ѝ гръмнат, както ми се е случвало с други ърбънчета.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is getting better, as urban fantasy is wont to do at about the third volume. The overarching plot has started to emerge, and the main character is starting to have more of an emotional landscape (both figurative and literal in the case of this book). I'm hoping that more of the side characters will be developed so that I can root for them. Side characters in this type of series tend to be the best, since the main character is often immature and mildly annoying as a Gary Stu. Also, the female characters in this book kind of suck, but at least there are several of them? They are very much for the young male gaze as being stereotypically hot and "strong," but only in that way that boys like to ogle Lara Croft in tomb raider, not the type of strength that requires that they are actually portrayed as complex human beings. To be fair (but also kind of mean), this is not limited to just the female characters. The book is light on characterization, probably partially due to the author's writing, and partially author intent of this being oriented towards "young adult" readers.

(As an aside, the way in which the author pushes so hard to intentionally market and mention that this is an "adult" novel, both by declaring it at the beginning of every book, and in the intro for the first volume, makes him seem very self-conscious about the book/series and trying to simultaneously deflect criticism of it both being too violent/sexy/dark, and not gritty/emotionally impactful enough.)

[JJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hardcore trigger warning on this whole book: Mention of SA of minors, abuse of minors, human trafficking. It is best to avoid this book if even the mention of those things are triggering.

This book is a definite improvement over the first one in writing and storytelling, and better than the second one by a little bit. It’s still shallow regarding people’s looks, especially women, sexualizing most women or makes them out to be hideous because they’re “over 30” and don’t have makeup on but might be pretty if they did.

It’s basically like a male romantasy equivalent in some ways.

It’s kind of surreal having a series based in Austin, traveling to places I’m very familiar with all over the city and outside of it too.

I’m listening to the audiobook version and the narrator is really talented, especially with accents. The one thing that goes against the narrator is that they obviously don’t know how things are pronounced in Austin so there’s loads of mispronounced names. It takes the listener out of the story when it happens if familiar with Austin.

For example this is how things should be pronounced in Austin. Does it always make sense? Nope. And it’s a joke around here, but it is how things are said.

Dell Valle = Dell Vall-ee
Manor = May-nor
Balcones = Bal-co-knees (rhymes with ponies)
Manchaca = Man-shack

There are a few more but thats what came to mind right now.

Anyway, if you can get through the roughness of the first book you’ll be rewarded with an entertaining and well researched urban fantasy series about fae and magic set in a cool city. This is only book 3 but the way the books have improved suggests the next two books will be excellent. I do hope we leave behind the kid stuff, however.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wavered back and forth on whether to give this 3 stars or 4. When I read book one, I wasn't very impressed with the character, Colin McCool, a very young guy who had been trained by a druid to kill monsters when he was in his teens, who was cursed with an inner monster, who was barely able to do any magic, who depended on a magic possibles bag to carry weapons to help him in a fight. Despite his youth and inexperience and magical disabilities he is a part time, untrained, unofficial PI, taking on cases to solve supernatural problems in between his college classes. I had hoped that in the sequels to that first book, Colin McCool, would grow in character and magical knowledge and ability, but so far he hasn't gained much in either area. His character is still a bit too naive and his curse is now his strength aided by another supernatural entity residing within him.

The overall story line is good and it is paced well, with enough action and non-action interspersed to keep things moving. I did find one plot error that should have been found and corrected before the book release. Also, there are some graphic violent scenes which some readers might find offensive or too gruesome. One scene, of torture, was especially repellent.

This is a some good/some bad kind of book so I had to go with 3 stars. I will go on to the next one to see if Colin's character has any growth and how the plot develops.

[Kat Lebo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moonlight Druid, Colin McCool Book #3
by M. D. Massey

Another exciting adventure with Colin and his growing bad of eclectic friends! Massey has outdone himself in this book, giving Colin not only formidable enemies to defeat, while still keeping to not only proper depictions of mythology, but tackling real issues in our own world.

An interesting and timely plot with excellent pacing and flow. The editing and proofing were top notch. The characters continue to evolve, all while staying relatable. Plenty of pop culture references. If I questioned anything it would be Colin's reference to Dr. Ganesh reminding him Fisher Stevens in "Short Circuit," while I thought first of Fisher Stevens in "My Science Project." But then I thought about it and decided My Science Project probably predated Colin's birth, making Short Circuit the better choice.

While there wasn't a cliffhanger ending exactly, Massey dropped a couple of bombshells at the end that definitely blew the doors off Colin's world, and set up issues to be continued in coming books in the series.

A great read.

[Chris Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's worth reading

So I began my dive into urban fantasy with Dresden and now I continue my quest to finding stories on par with Harry. This series started a little slow for me, but it's picking up and while it does share some similarities to much of the urban fantasy out there, it deviates enough to make it interesting in its own right. This story has more action than the last two, which I liked. I was initially bothered by the lack of closure the first two books had, but I'm finding that the entire series is really just one long piece and each book can't really stand on its own. So now my only real complaint is some of the writing itself. It is somewhat repetitive in its phrasing. On two occasions a character is described as " Toothing a molar." Then there is a part where the author feels the need to have the character explain why he makes jokes during stressful situations. That aside, I think "Hella" was only used once so that's an improvement. All and all though, these are minor things. The stories and characters are fun, so ill be on to the next one.

[Frank Mikes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good series that I am likely to continue reading for as long as the author keeps writing them. This third installation goes into detail into both the werewolf pack and the Redcaps of Austin, going in-depth into several of the important characters in there as well as their politics and internal workings.

Collin discovers yet another horrible crime, and yet another horrible villain behind it. My only concern is that, once again, the main villain gets away, as well as a few others. Granted, Colin does managed to stop much of the threat and there are even more clues for threats on the horizon; so it does seem that there is a lot more to come.

So, while I don't need to tell you that this is a good series (if you read the first two, you are probably going to read the third anyway), but I can say that this is at least as good as the second book (Graveyard Druid) and so shouldn't disappoint.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one, too, but feel it should have come with a trigger warning. This book deals in a somewhat detailed way with child abuse and child trafficking and contains quite some gore. I personally could handle the surprise (surprise because the other books haven't gone into these topics or contained detailed torture scenes) but I am pretty sure some readers might struggle, therefore a warning text/label of some sort would be good.

That said, I enjoy the series so far. Junkyard druid series are the first books from MD Massey I have read/listened to. The world building is rich and full of supernatural creatures, some rather rare ones. The MC is interesting and likeable, as are the other characters. I also think Steven Barnett is doing a great job as the narrator (besides the parts where he screams from the top of his lungs, had me sit up straight in my bed, heart pounding, thinking someone had broken in and was about to attack me, when I had fallen asleep listening).

[Scott Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun!

M.D Massey continues the Junkyard Druid series with Moonlight Druid. While Colin is working with the werewolf pack and its alpha, Sampson, to figure out how to work with his Hyde-side, he stumbles upon a child trafficking ring feeding the Rye Mother.

The storyline is quick and exciting, not leaving much downtime in the writing, just like I like it. The characters are interesting and imperfect but still come together to make an awesome finish.

Unlike a lot of the independent fiction out there it seems that M.D. has spent quite a bit of time editing and proofing. I only found one instance where an 'and' was stalking around in the place of an 'an.'

Try M.D. out and enjoy the ride with Colin and his friends and allies.

[Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and Amazing

This is the third book in this series and I grow to like the series more with each book. The way Mr. Massey weaves the different types of fae into each story is amazing. And as with book two, I appreciate that it's not all werewolves and vampires as with so much urban fiction today.
My only negative to the book is that like many of the self publishing authors I've read, the book could've used a final proof read to catch typos and the like. They weren't enough too detract from the reading, but they were noticeable.
Definitely worth reading this series of you just want a fun, quick read in the urban fiction genre.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm getting deeper involved with this series.

What started out as a mild flirtation with a Druid called Collin has turned into a full blown love affair!!

The characters spring off the page and run amuck in my brain.

I'm an mature reader, but these books are so well written, makes me feel young again lol.

Club's now in the middle of a pack take over, but the thropes aren't what they seem. Child abduction leads back to the same wolves that's causing unrest in the pack.

Can Collin, Bells and the gang find the children in time???

Gotta read it to find out 😉👍👍👍

[Heather Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I’m just going to say it - fans of Butcher’s “Harry Dresden” (and I am DEFINITELY one!) will love this series!! It’s not that the 2 series are so similar, although there are a lot of superficial similarities. It just has all of the elements that the Dresden series so popular.
This is only the 3rd book, but I can tell that Colin has already grown a lot as a character (and his world has expanded). It’s easy to look ahead and see that there is much more to come, and I’m looking forward to reading all about it!

[Richard W Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW, I'm Hooked

Massey is a gifted Writer\Storyteller, you'll be going from one emotion to the next in a Paragraph, Laughing, Cheering for the Underdog, Worried, to wanting to Help Colin and his Crew make things RIGHT. Can't wait to see how things turn out with Bell's mom lol. I would love to see Nemo fleshed out more and learn more about him, maybe have them take a trip home to help his family \Clan?

[Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice third main entry in the series as the junkyard druid character increases in experience in depth. I especially like the tie in with the local wolf pack. The underworld becomes clearer as to who the major players and factions are between the humans, werewolves, vampires, and fae. It is clear that our main character is the resurgence of a group that has not been present for a long while, the druids.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, measured progression
Colin is slowly coming into his own. At a good pace, with plenty of room for story and the world around him to evolve. Not easy solutions or obvious answers.

Fun to see his relationship with Bella bloom.

The dual plots of the integration with the pack learning to control his beast, and the redcap kidnapping, work really well. Nice to see more characters that aren't all good or all evil, and require some work to understand / appreciate. The darker torture scene paralleled and justified the insight into himself that enabled the next steps in control--very nice!

As always a few good threads left to pull on to unravel the next layers of the story.

Thanks Donovan for introducing me to this series! :)

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness that was graphic, agonizingly so. Two insain fights, one a test for top wolf, a test to assure control, the sex/child trafficking ring was taken down. I felt Colin's rage at the high fae child sex trafficer. I am generally very peace loving, but agree with Colin's level of rage and focus at the inquiry, as well as how he aquired the information. Oh, and the reveal at the very end was perfection.

[Allison Evarts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I will continue with this series. It has elements that got me through 3 books but that just isn't enough to keep me going. The main character is just dumb. He doesn't think hardly anything through ever, he has to have help with everything, he's rude to powerful people, he doesn't seem to work on making himself more powerful or mastering the gifts he has = there isn't really anything appealing about him. Too many other books out there to explore.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, this is a rant. I read the first one, loved it, immediately bought the next two, as I was finishing this one, the third, I see Amazon has advertising on my Facebook Profile, about the series. am I not buying the books fast enough? well Amazon, I am done buying books in this series, as I can't afford the other 8, right this minute. Remember when 'word of mouth" was the best advertising about a book, I miss those days. Rant over.

[Frank Bertino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Control, Protect and Howl at the Moon 🌙

Colin is trying to gain control of the creature he shifts into when he nears death. It's a quandary as the creature slaughters enemies and friends alike, yet if he gains control he would be a great warrior for the protection of his friends. I like the action, humor and smart ass dialog. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colin McCool is such a great character! Fay children are going missing in Austin and he gets hired to find a lost Red Cap child. Colin is also dealing with his curse which causes him to "hulk out" and be uncontrollably violent. So while he's on the case he's also attempting to learn control from other shifters - the local werewolf pack. Great story!

[Harry Royster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite the cast

I really liked this book. It advances the progress of Colin and shows the promise of more to come. I knew werewolves would come into the picture sooner or later. I'm just glad for the most part that they came on Colin's side. And the cliffhanger at the end. OMG. I didn't see that one coming. So you know that I have to stop now so that I can read the next book.

[Pamela Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in this series about a young druid who becomes a bridge between the human world and the Fae .

This was another awesome addition to this series this book was also somewhat heard for me to read especially the child poem wring . A lot happened in this book I'm glad that we get to see more in site about Bella can't wait to read the book .